Alone But Not Quite
by AshleyMarie2012
Summary: Edward left in New Moon, but only a few weeks later, stubborn little Alice comes back and crashes in on Bella's now miserable life. What happens when she meets Jacob and Edward comes back? What about Charlie? Things just tumble downhill for Bella. DISCONTINUED
1. Chapter 1: Big Dummy

Chapter 1: Big Dummy.

**A/N: This is my first FanFic, so review excessively! **

**I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS. **

--**No copyright infringement intended--**

Alice POV

"But Edward!" I whined.

"No Alice! I don't care about your stupid visions right now. We're leaving. That's final."

"Edward you have to understand! She'll be okay if we stay here!"

"No she won't Alice! She won't. I just keep putting her in danger."

"But you always save her!"

"What if I mess up one time and I fail to do so? Hmm? She'll die. And I can't have that."

I was so frustrated. Couldn't he see that if we didn't leave, things would be okay? I didn't want to leave. I wanted to stay. Stay with Bella. She's always been fun, interesting, and humorous. I didn't want to give her up. She was my best friend—because let me tell you, you spend everyday with the same six people for over fifty years…you tend to get a bit tired of those people.

But now I was so angry with Edward. He convinced the whole family—except for me—that it would be best if we up and leave.

As much as I wanted to blame Jasper for provoking Edward to make this decision because he had been all to close to killing Bella, I couldn't. I loved him too much to blame him for things I should have seen coming.

Sensing my affection, anger and frustration all at the same time, Jasper kissed my forehead and whispered, "Everything will turn for the best, love."

I sighed. No way in hell—or wherever—was I going to let Edward forget that this was a mistake, but I could drop it for now at least.

"When can I say goodbye?" I asked Edward.

"What?" He looked confused. "Never. You can never say goodbye to her. A clean break is the best way to end this. Just like a broken bone."

I could see it now—how Edward would say goodbye to Bella. It was horrible. She looked paler than usual, her whole body looked as if it were about to snap in half, and like at any moment she would drop to her knees and bawl until her tear ducts were all dried up. She looked lifeless.

_"It will be as if I never existed."_

"Edward…" I shook my head at the vision.

"I know, Alice, I know. But I have to do it. It's the best way."

That's all he'd been saying for the past several hours, "It's the best way." I was so sick of hearing it and I was two seconds away from slapping him before Jasper calmed me down.

Within the next two hours, everyone was all packed up, and then we just…left. No goodbyes. Nothing.

Emmett had made up a fuss about not having anyone to make fun of. Esme was sad about leaving Bella, but knew that "it's the best way." Blah, blah, blah. Carlisle agreed with Edward that we were getting too caught up in the small town of Forks and that it was time to move on. Rosalie was happy for the most part, she'd like Forks but she was happy that we would no longer be put in danger with Bella. And Jasper had been indifferent about the whole thing.

All of a sudden, my sight was taken away by yet another vision.

This was one that I liked, it reassured me that I wouldn't be sad for too long.

I thanked the heavens that we were out of Edward's "hearing" range, because I didn't want him to see what I planned on doing. This would definitely be a secret kept from him until he comes to his senses. He's such a...a big dummy!


	2. Author's Note

**A/N: Okay, so I'm not that good at writing from something that's already been written. It's kind of hard for me to take what magnificent work Stephanie Meyer has written and write from it. It's not that easy. I'm much better at writing my own stories from my own ideas. So pardon me if you don't like a certain chapter or the story in general.**

**And if you have any suggestions or recommendations on what I could do with the story, please send me a private message! It would be greatly appreciated, because goodness knows how many times I get writers block, and I really hate having to force ideas out of myself.**

**Oh, and I've written the next few chapters, but I'm a little wary about them. I'm not sure they're my best writing, so I'm not exactly sure when the next chapter will be up. I'm almost positive I'll have at least chapter 2 up by the end of today.  
**

**- Ashley  
**


	3. Chapter 2: Patience

**A/N: Okay, Bella's POV in this chapter is a little bit of a cliche on FanFic, but I wanted it to happen, so yea. **

**I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS! THEY ARE ALL STEPHANIE MEYERS'. **

**--No copyright infringement intended--**

2. Patience

Bella POV

Weeks have passed since the heartbreak of the year. Charlie's been threatening to send me to Jacksonville—I stubbornly refuse every time. But that's the most I've talked since _they_ left.

I know they only left because he thought I would be safer without him. That doesn't mean that I wish he hadn't left. God knows I do.

My chest felt like my heart had been torn right out of my chest; like an empty hole. In no way had I dealt with his absence well. By any means.

What I wouldn't give to go shopping with Alice; be calmed by Jasper; be glared at by Rosalie; be loved by Esme; be made fun of by Emmett; be medically treated by Carlisle one last time. What I wouldn't give to see Edward's magnificent, godlike face again.

I can't take it anymore. I can't live through this pain. It's too much. It has to end.

My fingers tapped the counter top as I searched through the cabinet.

Hmm. It's here somewhere, I know it is. I had it out just last night when Charlie was coughing up a storm. Oh! That's right! It's on the coffee table next to Charlie's chair.

My numb legs walked through the kitchen and into the living room, picking up the bottle of cold medicine. I skipped happily up to my room—or as happy I could be, at least.

I closed the door—making sure it wasn't locked, so that it would be easy for Charlie to find me. I opened the bottle of cold medicine and held it up to my mouth, ready to drink…

I can't do this, not now. I have to give _some kind_ of closure to Charlie before I "go."

My suicide mission is postponed indefinitely.

Alice POV

God! Can't this plane go any faster? I just had a vision of Bella…_dead_. She freaking overdosed on cold medicine. Purposely! How could she do that? I mean think of Charlie! Imagine what he would be going through. Hopefully she hasn't done it yet.

I had planned on sneaking away from Edward to go be with Bella once again, but this only made me do it sooner.

"We will be landing in Seattle, Washington in two minutes, please secure yourself in your seat belts. Thank you." The stewardess announced.

Not fast enough! Come on, come on, come on.

Geez, if a vampire could have A.D.D…

I decided to at least try to be patient. I wouldn't have this problem if Jasper was with me, but he couldn't risk taking a plane—small, enclosed space with a bunch of humans, and many of them smelling _delicious_. Thankfully I had the skill to resist, but poor Jasper.

"Welcome to Seattle, Washington." The pilots voice said before I noticed that we had landed. "The time is 8:37 P.M. Have a good evening." The fake happy tone in everyone's voice was annoying.

The stewardess's led us all through the small airplane door. I held my breath, just in case.

Ah, fresh air at last.

I figure it would be easier to just run to Bella's house, rather than drive. Well, off I go.

**A/N: See what I told you about the cliche? I know, I know, it's so overdone. But I still wanted to do it. I love writing in Alice's POV, but I still feel like Bella's side should be shown too. And who knows? Maybe Jasper will get his chance to share.**


	4. Chapter 3: Rebellion

**A/N: If you don't like this chapter or think I should have done more to it, I'm sorry. I was in the middle of writing one of my other stories--that I don't use for FanFic. But I had a small idea for this chapter so I quickly wrote it out and then went back to my other story, so this is what I came up with.  
**

**I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS. THE WONDERFUL STEPHANIE MEYER DOES. **

**--No copyright infringement intended--  
**

3. Rebellion

Bella POV

Charlie was in bed. This was the perfect time to do it if I was going to do it at all.

I'd fed him dinner—stroganoff, his favorite. I'd did his laundry, cleaned up around the house, made his lunch for tomorrow, and made sure he knew how much I loved him and appreciated everything he'd done for me.

I reopened the bottle of cold medicine and held it up to my mouth again, tipping it slightly and slowly.

There was a knock on my window—but who? Who ever visited me? I wasn't even sure I had friends anymore.

I pulled back the new bright blue curtains that Charlie had bought me as a "cheer up" present—that obviously hadn't worked.

No way.

I was delusional.

There's no way that that person is right outside my window.

I stared at them with my mouth hanging open and my eyes as wide as they would go, awestruck. They knocked again, appearing to get a little impatient.

Alice! Alice! Alice! Alice!

I unlocked the window, but I couldn't open it. I had super glued it shut after the night he left me. To prevent myself from any more pain.

Alice yanked the window open using her vampire strength, and slipped through into my bedroom.

Without missing a beat, I threw myself onto her, wrapping my arms around hers. It was like hugging an ancient Greek statue.

"Missed you too, Bella." She said in her beautiful pixie voice.

I pulled away from her imagining what pain she was going through with my scent. "Sorry." I mumbled.

She shrugged. I checked her eyes. They were a perfect golden color, kind of like the color of a brand new gold ring.

"So why did you come back? Not that I'm not ecstatic that you did."

"I never wanted to leave. I'd been planning on coming back to stay with you since the day we left, but I came earlier because I saw _someone_ purposely overdose on cold medicine."

"Yea…um…" I didn't know how to explain myself.

"Just as long as you aren't going to do it anymore."

"No reason to now." I said happily.

She was silent and distant for a moment. Having a vision I suppose.

"Alice?"

"Uh, sorry."

I shrugged. "What was it about?"

"Oh nothing." She shrugged back, "Anyway, we have to have as much fun as possible tomorrow. Got it?"

"Sure. Why?"

"Because I need to get as much fun in as I can before I get in trouble. Remember that this—sneaking away from Edward—is my way of rebelling."

Alice POV

Oh my. Wow, was I going to be in trouble. Edward is going to slaughter me. I can see it now—not really. He'll rip me up limb by limb. Then when I'm all together again, he'll repeat himself. This process will go on until he makes me regret ever coming back to Forks.

I cringed at the thought of it. No way had I regretted coming back to Bella. The way she looked when I saw her face through the window, it was horrifying. She was just about to overdose and kill herself! I couldn't have _not_ stayed. For crying out loud, Edward would have freaked even more if I'd let her _die_.

But Edward was _bound_ to find out sometime. Whether it's in the next few days, weeks, or months, he'll find out. I'll be gone. Bella will go back to being dead inside.

I had to postpone that however possible. I hadn't told anyone but Jasper where I was going. And I hadn't seen Edward since we left. I suppose he was grieving about having to leave her as well—not that he would give himself reason to come back.

Suppose I did something nice for my brother. Suppose I do something for Bella that he wished she would be able to do once we'd left. That would make up for me disobeying his strict rules, right?

Well I think so.

I shall start tomorrow. It will be my gift to Bella and my make up to Edward.

**A/N: I'm going to try to post the next chapter tomorrow, but it depends if I'm done writing it. I have a lot to do today and then I have school tomorrow. But I will do my very best to post it. Thank you all for reviewing, subscribing, and favoriting. I love you all. =]**


	5. Chapter 4: So Called Gift

**A/N: Sorry that it's a day late. I've been studying really hard for this test I have because I bombed my last quiz, and I haven't had time to actually write. It totally sucks, because writing is my obsession. But hey! I found time!  
**

**I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS. CREDIT FOR BOTH GOES TO STEPHANIE MEYER.  
**

**--No copyright infringement intended--  
**

4. So-Called gift

Bella POV

"Alice, what are we doing today?" I asked politely.

She danced in her seat while she sang, "We're on a maaaan hunt! We're on a maaaan hunt!" She was sure not to take her eyes off the road, knowing how much it scared me when she did.

"What?" I exclaimed, furious.

"We're going to find you 'someone to looove.'" She quoted the Beatles' "With A Little Help From My Friends."

"Alice, stop singing!" I whined.

"Sorry." She shrugged.

"Now, explain to me _why_ exactly we're doing this so called 'man hunt.'"

"Because _you_ need to be happy."

"But Alice—" I started to whine again.

"No buts! We're going to find you someone. Got it?"

"I don't want to." I complained, staying persistent on my side of the argument.

"Bella…" She started, her voice was softer, more reserved, "it is what Edward wanted, for you to find someone else so that you could be _human_."

Hearing his voice stung in the deepest pit of my stomach and dug a shovel-full deeper into my heart.

Alice POV

I really didn't want to have to bring _him_ into this, but to make this work I needed Bella to be cooperative. And because she was so stubborn, the only way to get her to cooperate was to remind her of him.

Edward would be grateful to me for the rest of our existences. Saving Bella's life and finding her someone new so that she could be happy again. He won't even have time to care that I disobeyed him when I came to see Bella.

But this could only work if Bella would cooperate. I'll be able to see things more clearly when she makes a decision of which guy she wants.

Though, I had my many doubts that this will not work. She will be too persistent on the thought that she'll never find anyone else, and she'll be concentrated on thinking she'll only ever love Edward, and him alone.

…Like Penelope from the _Odyssey_. The men from the hunt fit into the character of the suitors, Edward being Odysseus. With Odysseus—Edward—gone, they think Penelope—Bella—should find a new partner.

But in the end, Odysseus comes back… What would have happened if Teiresias and Circe had predicted differently? What if they had predicted that Odysseus were to die with his men? Odysseus never would have returned and Penelope would have been left to marry one of the suitors.

If Odysseus knew he was going to die along with his men, would he have wanted Penelope to marry one of the suitors, or would he have still wanted her to be faithful? That was yet another difference between Edward and Odysseus: Odysseus would have wanted her to be faithful, while Edward wants her to find someone new.

***

"Ooh, how about that guy?" I gave my mind a moment to process his future. "Right now, he wants to be a lawyer, he plans on going to Harvard, and he's going to be making a _lot_ of money."

"Alice," She continued to whine and complain, "No! Okay? I don't care. I don't care about money or what college he's going to or what he's going to grow to be. Frankly, I don't care about him in general. I don't care about any of the guys you've pointed out today. I don't want to do this, Alice."

I opened my mouth to protest, but my sight and mind was fogged by a vision…

Oh! Yay!

But what was I going to do with Bella? I can't take her with me, but I don't want to leave her alone. Well, she'll be okay by herself for a half hour, right?

…Check.

"Bella, I have to go. Jasper's at the house!"

She grinned smugly, happy that she didn't have to continue to participate in the "Man hunt."

"Don't think you're done." I snapped, "We're continuing this when I get back. I'll be gone for thirty minutes tops."

She slumped her shoulders, "Humph."

I gave her the keys to my car, just in case she wanted to go get something to eat or whatever. I'd be able to predict where she went if she decided to leave the park we were at.

I stood up from the park bench and started running, but I was once again fogged by a vision. Except…there was _nothing_. The vision was completely blank. Like, the future was gone. What was Bella going to do? I can't see anything of her future! Agh!

Forget it, I'll figure it out once I get Jasper.

**A/N: Okay, about the Odyssey analogy...The test I mentioned earlier is over the _Odyssey_ by Homer, so it was already on my mind when I was writing this chapter. Sorry if you didn't like it.**


	6. Chapter 5: Well, hello there!

**A/N: Okay, so this isn't as good as I had originally wrote it...I had the whole chapter all written out, and my stupid cat unplugged my power thing-a-ma-bob that is has all my computer stuff hooked up to it, and BAM! My computer is off and my work is gone. *Whimper* But I was able to recover half of it, thankfully. Unfortunately, it wasn't the best half. The better half was the ending half, and it was gone. So we're stuck with whatever my mind could remember.**

**By the way, I'm pretty sure I aced that test I was studying for. =]**

**I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS. BOTH ARE OWNED BY STEPHANIE MEYER.**

**--No copyright infringement intended--  
**

5. Well, hello there.

Alice POV

"Hey Jazz," I commented and smiled back at his toothy smile that was being revealed to me.

"Alice," He breathed out as he grabbed me in a tight hug, wrapping his arms around my waist and running his fingers up and down my spine. I put my arms around his neck and laid my forehead on his chest.

It was painful to be away from him—not as intensely painful as it was for Bella, I can imagine, but still in that spectrum—so I was immediately relieved to be in his arms once again.

"Why did you leave earlier than you had planned?" He asked into my hair.

"I'll explain later." His sweater muffled my voice. "Right now, I need to figure out why I can't see Bella's future."

"Wha—"

"No time for talk, let's go." I peeled away from him, grabbed his hand, and started running.

Bella POV

I walked up to the small door of the even smaller house—figuratively speaking of course. I reached out and knocked on the door exactly four times.

The wheel-chaired man I'd known most of my life came to the door, looking shocked at seeing me.

"Why, hello Bella!" His voice was strong and husky. It had a powerful ring to it. "What can I help you with?"

"I'm actually here to see Jacob, if that's okay."

"Sure, sure! He's out in the garage."

"Thanks Billy." I waved.

"No problem."

I stepped along the gravel driveway up to the garage. I saw two legs sticking out under a pieced together 1986 Volkswagen Rabbit. Figuring I'd scare him, I slammed my hand on the hood, making it roar with a loud ringing sound. The two legs jumped in the air and I heard someone yell, "Holy crap!" The somebody rolled out from under the car and rubbed their head in pain.

"Ooh, sorry!" I apologized, sincerely. "I didn't mean to hurt you, just scare you."

"Oh, it's okay." He said opening his eyes. "Bella!"

"Hey Jacob." I smiled at him while he grabbed me in a quick hug. "You grew so much! How tall are you now?"

"Six five." He grinned.

"Whoa, impressive." I nodded approvingly.

He chuckled and rubbed his head again.

"Sorry, again. Here, I'll go get you some ice, Jake."

"Nah, that's okay. I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Yea."

"Okay, then." I said, sitting down on the small stool set next to the car.

"So what are you here for…uh, not that I'm not glad you're here."

I shrugged, "I'm hiding from Alice."

"Cullen? I thought they left weeks ago. They're back?"

"Just Alice and Jasper."

"Oh, sorry about Edward." I could tell by his tone of voice that he wasn't sorry at all. Hearing the name stung my heart once again.

Maybe Alice was right. Maybe I _do_ need to find someone else.

Well, Jacob was a possibility. He was attractive, seemingly smart, funny, definitely caring, and charming. He'd be great—he was no Edward, but he was a great substitute.

No. No one could substitute Edward. No one was going to. I'm not even going to give anyone the chance to.

But maybe I should.

I could feel myself splitting into two parts: Sensible and Unwilling.

There was no way that this would _ever_ work out. No matter how much I hoped and prayed.

Alice POV

Jasper and I stopped at the park, where I found Bella gone—as I had expected. So we followed her scent.

It led across the boundary of the Quiluete tribe's treaty line. Crap. She's hanging out with the wolves. "Filthy _mutts_," as Edward would say.

Another vision fogged my sight and mind. It was of Edward, he snarled and pounced at something that wasn't visible to me in the vision… Oh no! Crap, crap, crap, crap…

Bella stepped in the way to protect _it_.

Edward didn't have time to withdraw the pounce, and he landed on her, crushing her bones and killing her. She lay there cold and limp. Dead.

I shook the vision out of my head and buried my face in Jasper's sweater.


	7. Chapter 6: Decisions

**A/N: Okay, so first of all I just wanted to say thank you--major thank you--to everyone who is reviewing! It means a lot...Now I'm not one of those authors who say "Oh I'll put up the next chapter if you give me [insert any number here] reviews!" No. I'm thankful that y'all are reviewing, and I'm not going to push it. I don't care if I get 10 reviews or 100 reviews. I post because I want to and I feel like I owe it to the people that like my story. I write because for myself and because it's what I love, rather than for reviews and popularity.**

**I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS. THEY ARE ALL OWNED BY STEPHANIE MEYER.**

**--No copyright infringement intended--  
**

6. Decisions

Edward POV

Why did I leave her? I love her so much and it pains me—in ways that I never thought possible—to be away from her.

I should go back to her. I need to see her again, at least once before I go mad.

No Edward. Absolutely not. I cannot go see her again. I cannot. I promised her she would be able to forget about me. She shouldn't have to be bothered by seeing me again.

I cannot interrupt her life. I can't disrupt her ability to live a normal life with a _human_ man.

I wish Alice were here so I could have her check in on Bella's future for me, but unfortunately she and Jasper were off doing research and such.

My "family" is falling apart. Rosalie and Emmett aren't the same, Esme and Carlisle are semi normal, but Alice and Jasper are off doing whatever. As for myself…I'm completely broken.

And it's _my entire fault_.

Alice POV

Bella's going to be dead. Then I'll be dead because Edward will kill me. And then he'll be dead because he'll kill himself. Who knows? Maybe Jasper will do the same because I'm gone.

It's my fault, too, because _I _had the idea of Bella coming to search for other guys. _I _left her alone to go meet Jasper. And _I_ can't go get her butt back her because of the freaking treaty lines.

I felt a wave of calm rush over me.

"Damnit, Jasper! Stop that! I don't have to be calm right now! Edward's going to kill Bella!"

"Wha—"

"Don't mind that temporarily. We've got to get Bella back over here."

He sighed and released me from his wall-o-calmness. "We'll wait." He decided for us.

I silently agreed.

Bella POV

"Oh, uh, Jake?" I caught his attention from the car he was working on.

"Yea?"

"What time is it?"

"3:48. Why?"

"Crap, I'm late. Sorry, but I have to go meet back up with Alice. She'll kill me."

He growled.

"Not literally! Geez!" I patted his head and walked off to the Alice's car.

***

"I'm so sorry Alice!" I begged forgiveness.

"Yea, yea. Just give me my keys back." I dropped the keys into her awaiting hand.

"On the bright side…" I smiled sheepishly hoping she would have a vision before I finished.

She paused, and then spoke, "What? What's the bright side?" She snapped, "Is it that I can't _see_ your future, your _bright side_, because whatever is in your future is blocked from my visions?"

I stepped back cautiously.

She breathed out—I could tell Jasper was calming her down. "I'm sorry Bella. It's just that I absolutely loathe when I can't see the future properly. It aggravates me to the furthest point."

I shrugged forgivingly.

"Okay Bella. Lay it on me. What's the bright side?" Alice said as the three of us slid into her car.

I took a deep breath. "I've decided that you're right, I do need someone else. And I know who I want."

"It's not Edward is it?"

That was a steak through the heart, but I continued. "No. No it's not. It's…it's Jacob Black."

"What?" She screamed. "Why? You do realize _who_ he is, right?"

"Uh…Billy Black's son?"

"Bella he's a freaking werewolf!"

"Wha—How do you know?"

"Hey, I've been in the Cullen family for over fifty years. I'm pretty sure I'd know who our enemies are—or in this case, who we have a treaty with."

"You're not serious."

"I'm as serious as a heart attack, Bella."

**A/N: Now, I want 10 reviews before I post the next chapter....KIDDING!!!!! Just kidding, everyone. =]  
**


	8. Chapter 7: Disobey

**A/N: Yay! Everyone gets a chance to tell their side in this chapter! =] Sorry it's been a few days since I've posted, but I've been a bit busy with other things...Like seeing the Twilight Movie--which by the way totally rocked, aside from Robert Pattinson's iffy acting. Seriously, y'all, did you see him when he first smelt her in the Biology room, when the fan blew? He looked spastic! But Kristen Stewart's acting, immediately after the fight scene, was AMAZING. She blew me away. All in all, I absolutely loved it. Favorite movie ever.**

**Oh, and just so you guys know, I'm a bit wary of this chapter. I wrote it quickly, and I'm not sure I like it. **

**I'll try to post the next chapter as soon as I can...but it most likely won't be until Wednesday, because I have major tests tomorrow, and then no school Wednesday.**

**Sorry about the longgggg author's note. =]  
**

**I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT OF ANY OF THE CHARACTERS. BOTH BELONG TO STEPHANIE MEYER.**

**--No copyright infringement intended--  
**

7. Disobey

Jasper POV

Alice is wearing me out. She needs to control herself. I'm working my butt off trying to do it for her. She's hurting Bella and she doesn't even realize it.

Bella really has feelings for the wolf.

Now, I'm on Alice's side, of course, but I see Bella's perspective too. Bella honestly believes that she's found someone that makes a suitable substitute for Edward—who she believes to be her true love.

I'm not going to stand in Bella's way if she wants to fall in love with such a creature.

Jacob POV

With that leech she called a boyfriend gone, I won't have to work _as_ hard to get Bella to like me.

Thinking about her beautiful face and her melodic voice asking me to a date gave me butterflies…even if it hasn't exactly happened yet.

I sighed in disappointment. Who am I kidding?

Bella only came to visit me because she needed a getaway from the pixy bloodsucker, so she came to the one place where they couldn't follow. La Push.

The telephone rang obnoxiously in the kitchen, making me jump to my feet from the living room couch. I had to walk all but ten feet to get to it. I picked the phone up and held it to my ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey Jake!" The—as mentioned—melodic voice beamed.

"Hey Bella!" I beamed back.

"What'cha doing tonight?"

"I figure I'd just work on the car a bit, but if you had something else on mind…"

"You wanna go out with me tonight, to like a dinner and a movie? I know it's a bit cliché, but—"

"Sounds great! What time are you coming down?"

"Actually, you have to come get me. Alice took the battery out of my truck."

"Damn bloodsucker." I muttered to myself, hoping she couldn't hear. "Okay, I'll be right up. See ya in a few."

"See ya!" She hung up.

I. Have. A. Date. With. Bella!

Wow, talk about coincidence.

Alice POV

Bella is in so much trouble as soon as she gets back. How dare she disobey me after I specifically told her _not_ to go to see him!

Well, I disobeyed Edward by coming to see her, but that's different!

Forget it. Let her go. She'll learn her own damn lesson.

Bella POV

The movie wasn't all that interesting, so it dragged on. Thankfully dinner was better. Jacob and I went to Bella Italia in Port Angeles. The same restaurant Edward had taken me to after he saved me from the men on the street.

That reminder didn't hurt as much as I'd thought it would.

We sat about six inches away from each other, our chairs almost touching, but surprisingly, I was serene. He was soft, warm, and every now and then I could hear his heart beat faster. Everything about him was…comforting.

"Bella?" Jacob caught my attention and I turned my head away from my food to look at him, "I hope you don't mind me asking…"

I nodded my head, encouraging him to continue.

"Why did you ask me here tonight?"

I thought for a moment, "I needed to find someone else. Someone who would love me again…Now I know that sounds corny beyond reason, but it's true." I shrugged.

"And you think I could be that guy."

"I was hoping so."

Without a word he leaned into me and pressed his warm lips to mine.

I didn't fight back. I didn't pull away. I didn't do anything…except kiss him back.

Edward POV

My decision was made. I was going back to Bella and beg her forgiveness. How dare I leave her in the first place? I wouldn't be surprised nor hurt if she didn't accept my apology.

I decided to stop by the old house before I go see her, just to prepare myself. What I didn't expect to find was my "brother and sister" there. What were Alice and Jasper doing here?

"Alice, Jasper." I said in a harsh tone once I saw them in the living room. I immediately felt my murderous emotions fall aside, courtesy of Jasper.

"Edward…" She mumbled, remembering a vision she had had earlier today of me coming.

"Forget it, Alice. It doesn't matter anymore. I've come back to Bella. I suspect she's at home, safe?"

"Uh…" She stumbled upon words.

I heard what she was thinking, and was appalled that she would allow Bella to be around such mongrels.

Without a word, I ran out to my car and headed to Port Angeles as fast as the speedometer would allow.


	9. Chapter 8: Pardon the Interruption

**A/N: For once, this whole chapter is in Bella's point of view. Now, I don't mean to sound cocky, but _I _like this chapter. I'll leave you to decide for yourselves though.**

**I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS.**

**--No copyright infringement intended--  
**

8. Pardon the Interruption

Bella POV

I pulled away from Jacob and bit my bottom lip out of habit.

"Uh…wow." I mumbled.

He chuckled and nervously combed his fingers through his hair.

I felt a little bit of pain and regret, only slightly, but my heart felt like it was gradually being pieced back together; like a 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle. Still, it felt _wrong_, like I was kissing the wrong person.

Somewhere in my subconscious mind, I knew I was being watched. As the idea became apparent to me, I nearly fell into paranoia.

Who was watching me? Did they see Jacob and I kiss?

Reading the expression on my face, I suppose, Jacob asked, "What's wrong?"

"Someone's watching us." I looked all around me, but everyone else in the room was in too deep in their own business to be paying any attention to us.

Jacob sniffed the air. "Bloodsucker," He muttered under his breath.

"Alice?" I questioned.

"Possibly. I can't always tell the difference between their stenches."

I laughed humorlessly, really getting paranoid now. I knew I was in big trouble with Alice when I got home, but she wouldn't come interrupt me, would she?

I pulled two twenty-dollar bills out of my pocket and threw them on the table then walked outside, with Jacob following behind me.

"Alice?" I said into the dark, realizing how stupid I probably sounded.

Two golden eyes walked out of the shadows and into the light coming from the building.

No.

No, no, no, no!

I was completely delusional.

Not him! Not now!

Edward's scared eyes stared at me. Why was he scared? Was he scared of Jacob?

I laughed in my mind at the impossibility of Jacob _hurting_ Edward.

Edward's mouth opened to speak, but the sound of Jacob growling cut him off. I nudged Jacob in the side, implying for him to shut up. Edward cleared his throat and continued.

"Bella, I do hope you accept my sincerest apology."

"Apology for what? For allowing me to see your face again?"

Jacob growled and I nudged him again.

Edward ignored him, "For interrupting your…er, life."

I tugged on Jacob's shirt and he bent over so I could whisper in his ear.

"Wait in the car, I'll be there in a few."

He started to argue, but instead kissed my forehead and walked towards Billy's truck. I let out a growl of my own then turned back to Edward.

"Bella…" He started.

I nervously bit my lip.

"I'm sorry for breaking my promise to you. I promised that you would never be bothered by me again, and I let you down. I'm sorry. Bella, I—"

I shook my head, "Stop apologizing, Edward. I'm not mad. I don't want you to be upset for breaking your promise. I never wanted you to promise such an awful thing like that in the first place."

He stepped closer to me, "I only did what I thought was necessary. You deserve a human life. You deserve a chance to be _normal_. You deserve better than me."

"Don't ever say that, Edward. Never. I never want to hear those words again." I felt the tears burning behind my eyes but blinked them away.

"I'm not going to lie to you, Bella. I didn't want to do it in the first place, but I hated myself for every time you were put in danger because of my family and me."

"Edward, I put _myself_ in danger everyday. I'm clumsier than anyone else I can name. Just this morning I fell down six steps on the staircase before I caught myself. I have the bruises to prove it."

"Yes, but Bella, you will recover from that. You would have recovered even if you fell down the entire flight of stairs. But the danger you were put in while I was around was death defying."

"That never mattered to me. I'd rather die than be away from you."

"Please, Bella. Please don't say that." If it were at all possible, he would have been crying.

"It's the truth, Edward! Can't you see that? I _need_ you. When you left, my life was a bottomless pit of nothingness. It's been weeks and I still haven't recovered."

"But you were kissing Jacob…"

The disobeying tears streamed down my cheeks now, "Let me explain."

"You don't have to."

"I want to." I begged. He didn't answer, so I started, "When you left, I went by day to day feeling lonely and hopeless, to the point of suicide…"

He opened his mouth to speak but I continued, not letting him interrupt me. "I decided that I was useless and no one would ever love me again, so I was going to overdose on cold medicine. Right before I was about to do it, Alice knocked at my window and stopped me. She's been with me since. She forced me into the idea of me finding someone new, someone that would be a suitable replacement for you. I didn't like it, and when Jasper came she went to meet him, so I ran off to Jacob's house and hung out with him for a bit. Alice told me he was a werewolf, but I didn't care. I knew he liked me, and that's really the only qualification I needed. I asked him out here tonight, and things got deep and we kissed. That's it." I sniffled after I finished.

"So…" His golden eyes met mine, "You still love me?"

I smiled, "I'd be lying if I said I didn't."

He didn't answer me after that.

"Are you leaving again?" I whispered, praying that he won't.

"Never again." He stepped closer once again, only about two feet away now.

"Then stay with me tonight." This time, I stepped closer to him. There was only a foot in between us.

"I don't think your friend would like that very much." He gestured towards the truck. Jacob was staring out the window at us.

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him. Jacob will get over me. What's he thinking, though?"

"In his mind he's calling me all the profanities that he can think of."

I laughed, "Jealousy is an ugly monster."

"Yes it is, and I'll give an example…" He leaned into me and pressed his cold, marble lips to my cheek. I gasped at the icy texture and temperature.

As he pulled away, I caught Jacob getting out of the truck, furious.

"Don't ever touch her again, you leech!"

Edward chuckled, "I can't make any promises on that."

I pressed my lips together, trying to suppress a smile. Jacob walked over to us, standing only a couple of feet away from Edward and I.

"Watch your thoughts, mongrel." Edward snapped.

Jacob growled and Edward hissed in reply. Jacob pushed Edward away from me and Edward had an amused look on his face, then he ran back to my side.

"Don't you dare lay a finger on her, bloodsucker."

Edward tauntingly poked me in the arm gently. Jacob huffed and started after Edward, but Edward quickly dodged him. Jacob grabbed my arm and pulled me into him.

"Bella, be careful. He's awfully angry and could morph any moment."

"I would never hurt her. Unlike you." Jacob retorted.

Edward hissed, and Jacob—without possibly thinking—morphed while holding me. His claws scraped my arm, breaking skin and leaving five huge gashes. The blood came a second later, the pain followed closely. Jacob stepped away from me, ashamed.

Edward darted at him and flung into the air. I stupidly stepped in front of Jacob to protect him.

The horrified look on Edwards face before his stone-hard body landed on me was scary. His body crushed numerous bones and I fell unconscious in a sea of pain.


	10. Chapter 9: Pain Like No Other

9. Pain Like No Other

Alice POV

Stupid car. It can't go fast enough!

Finally, I made it to the restaurant, but not in time. I'd had a repeated vision of Edward killing Bella, though I hadn't made it in time to stop him. By time I got there, Edward was hovering over Bella with a horrified expression on his face. Jacob stood there in a trance, staring at the body under Edward.

It wasn't until I heard the faint, slow beating of her heart that I realized she was still alive—just barely. I held my breath as I caught a glimpse of the blood on Bella's body.

"Edward!" I shouted as I hopped out of the car, he never turned to face me. "Edward, she's still alive! Listen to her heart!"

He still didn't move.

I stomped over to him, grabbed him by the arm, and pulled him up—forcing him to turn his attention to me.

"Edward, listen to me. Bella is still alive, but not for much longer. She's losing a lot of blood, and her heart is beating dangerously slow. You _need_ to save her. You _need_ to change her. NOW!" There went my all my air; I had to sneak in a quick breath.

It took everything I had to ignore the _delicious_ smell of Bella's blood that was glowing in a stream down her arm and on the ground. So it was best not to piss me off right now.

"Alice…I can't." He murmured, shaking his head at me.

"Damn it, you have to, Edward!"

"What about the wolves?"

"To hell with them! It's the only way to save Bella. We'll deal with the wolves once this is over. Just do it. Do it now, before it's too late!"

He took a deep breath and walked back to Bella, sitting at her side. He leaned his head into her neck and took another breath.

Bella POV

I was barely conscious when I heard Alice yelling at Edward. I'd never heard Alice like that. She was so frantic and upset. My hearing was like a radio out in the middle of nowhere, it kept tuning in and out of the conversation—due to the lack of full consciousness.

Suddenly, there was silence. Complete silence, until I felt Edward's cold breath on my neck. At this point, it was the only non-painful thing on my body. I was vaguely aware of the hot, sticky, blood that was running down my arm. The gashes themselves were numb with the amount of pain they should be inflicting, in contrast to the pain the rest of my body was providing.

I felt Edward's cold, marble lips on my neck. He softly whispered, "I'm so sorry. Bella, please forgive me. I love you, Bella."

His teeth broke into my neck, causing a pain like no other pain I have ever felt. It felt like I was being stabbed with a medieval-thick sword. He held himself there for a long moment, being careful not to suck _in_ any of the blood.

Edward withdrew himself from my neck—his face full of agony—and he leaned over me.

Gradually, I lost vision; everything was black, with little specks of red. An excruciating burning started in my neck, making its way through my body by trailing in my veins. The pain of the bite was _nothing_ compared to the pain of the burn. It felt like I was being hit by an eighteen-wheeler a million times over, being dipped in a vat of acid, and being burned alive—all at the same time.

I screamed at the top of my lungs, repeatedly. I knew how much it must have hurt Edward, to hear it, but it was something I could not control through the pain.

The last thing I remember was being scooped up into a set of arms, an angry voice yelling at the pair of arms for some reason I did not understand, and feeling the cushiony texture of a car. Then nothing.

Everything went blank. I was still awake, but I felt nothing, I saw nothing, and I heard nothing. All my senses had been shut down except for the feeling of the undeniable, un-ignorable pain.

**A/N: Sorry that this one's such a short chapter. I wrote it yesterday, and I didn't have much time considering it was Thanksgiving and all. Hopefully the next chapter will be longer.  
**


	11. Chapter 10: Newborn

10. Newborn

Bella POV

What seemed like a thousand years and a million involuntary screams later, I drifted back into my senses.

My sense of taste came first, there was a bitterness in my mouth—I couldn't pin point exactly what it tasted like. Next came my sense of smell, there was a poignant smell of a combination of honey, lilac, and sun, but I still couldn't recognize it. Then came my sense of touch, I could feel a softness, cradling my body and a steady breath on my head. Finally came my sense of hearing. I could hear the breath on my head, the thumping of a heavy heart in the same room, and the shuffling of two pairs of feet downstairs, but there was no speaking.

At last came my sight. Once I realized I had regained it, my eyes flew open. The light shining above me was enough to blind a human, but I knew that I was much more than a mere human. That the beating heart in the room was not mine.

In one swift movement, I was out of the cradling arms and standing up, facing my savior.

"Jacob, go tell Alice and Jasper the news." Edward ordered with a crooked smile being flashed at me. Jacob growled and left the room.

I threw myself onto him, gripping him in a tight hug. He was soft now, and warm. Not the cold, marble skin I'd grown so used to.

"Love, calm down. Just take everything in, you're moving awfully fast. Learn to think your actions through." He chuckled.

I squeezed him tighter.

"Um, Bella," He cleared his throat, "You're kind of…er, hurting me."

I pulled away quickly. That was something I would definitely need to get my mind wrapped around. Hurting Edward. Bah!

"Oh! Sorry." I bit my lip.

He chuckled.

"Bella…" He pressed his lips together, but not in a bad way like he had bad news or anything.

Right then, Alice burst through the door with Jasper, Jacob was nowhere to be seen. I couldn't imagine why he wasn't there though.

"You're beautiful, Bella!"

"That's putting it in the lightest form, Alice." Edward said turning back to me.

"They're right, Bella." Jasper smiled.

They all stood there smiling at me until I asked the question that had been on my mind for the past thirty seconds, "Where's Jacob?"

Their smiles faded. Edward stepped up to answer, "He's left."

"What? Why?"

"It's not safe for him to be around you, love."

"Why?"

"Bella, you're a newborn vampire." Jasper chimed in, "Aren't you thirsty beyond all reason?"

Now that he brought it up, there was a fire burning in my throat that was killer.

"I wasn't until you mentioned it," I said through my teeth.

Jasper held his hands up, palms out, and stepped back.

"Well, since you're thirsty now, let's go hunt." Alice clapped, "It's been a few days for us."

The thought of little, pixie-like Alice hunting was a picture that my imagination could not scrounge up.

"Do I have to?" I whined.

"Do you want to see Jacob again?" Alice folded her arms over her chest.

"Fine. Let's eat some freaking animals."

***

Hunting was easier—and more disgusting—than any of the Cullens had described it as. And let's just say it's a good thing I wasn't a real vegetarian in my human life.

Edward stepped away from the carcass of a deer that he had fed on. He licked his lips and wiped the corner of his mouth with his thumb. He started walking back towards me, seeing as I was just standing there with my arms wrapped around myself, but he stopped a few feet short.

"What's wrong?" I asked him, but Alice answered.

"Jacob's coming." She said flatly.

"So? Why is that a bad thing? I mean, I'm full. I swear."

"That's not what we're worried about, love." Edward replied.

"Then what?"

"The whole pack is coming." Alice informed us, not answering my question.

"They just want to talk right now, but they'll be back, so we'll have to get the others before the pack's second visit," Edward continued on Alice's information.

"How are they coming?" Jasper asked.

"Jacob and Sam are in human form and the other four are in wolf form," Edward answered him. How come I was the only one not getting my questions answered?

I'd never met the rest of the pack. Just Jacob. But what would they be coming to talk to?

I opened my mouth to ask Edward, but was cut off by the sight of four giant wolves and two tall humans walking into the forest.

The smell of them all made my throat burn like fire, but I resisted. This was Jacob, and I cannot hurt him.

Once the six of them reached a twenty-foot distance between our two groups, they stopped. Sam and Jacob stepped another five feet forward.

"Hello Jacob, Sam." Edward bowed his head as he greeted them.

"Edward." Sam replied politely, but harshly.

"What brings you here?"

"Oh, like you don't already know, bloodsucker." Jacob growled and glanced at me.

"Hush, Jacob. We can do this politely for now." Sam instructed then turned back to Edward, "We understand there has been a treaty violation."

"Yes." Edward said sounding indifferent.

"I see that it was necessary, but yet was still a violation."

"Is there any way that we can reconstitute the treaty?"

"I'm afraid not."

"Then let there be war."

"Let there be war." Sam repeated Edward's words.

What did they mean, "Let there be war?" What war? Was it about _me_, because the Cullens changed me into a vampire? Is that what this is about? Who was fighting? The werewolves verses the Cullens?

"Best of luck to you and your pack," Edward bowed his head once again.

"Thank you." Sam said and turned around. Jacob growled once more at us and walked away with the rest of the pack. While they bolted away, Jacob and Sam morphed into wolf form. It was the most magnificent, indescribable thing I have ever seen. The chocolate brown wolf howled as the six of them left our sight.

"Edward…" I started.

"Alice, Jasper, go call the others. Get them here as soon as possible to prepare." He instructed.

Alice and Jasper nodded then ran towards the house.

"Edward, what's this all about?" I demanded.

"Come on," Edward grabbed my hand, intertwining our fingers, and led me further into the forest.

**A/N:I'm probably not going to be posting for a few days because of my birthday and my best friends birthday, so I figured I'd give you all two chapters in one day. =]**

**Sorry that I didn't get into more detail about the hunt. It's just that I'm not really a meat kind of person. I mean, I'll eat it, but just don't make me think about it. And with the vampires hunting...*Shudders*  
**


	12. Chapter 11: Guilty

**A/N: Sorry about the long delay, but that's how it's going to have to be from now on. I can't update everyday anymore, I have way to much to do nowadays. Finals are coming up and things are only going to get worse afterward.** *Sigh* **Anyway, thanks to everyone who wished me and my friend a happy birthday. =]**

**I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS. BOTH ARE OWNED BY STEPHANIE MEYER.**

**--No copyright infringement intended--  
**

11. Guilty

Bella POV

"Bella," Edward turned my attention away from all the smells around me to him. "Do you remember what Jacob told you about the treaty our family made with the wolves earlier in the century?"

"Of course."

How could I forget? That was the night I had the nightmare of Jacob attacking Edward.

"Well, part of that treaty _wasn't_ that we weren't allowed to _feed_ on a human, rather we weren't allowed to _bite_ a human in general."

"So…"

"So by changing you, we broke the treaty."

"Can't they understand that I was dying?"

"They _do_ understand, but your little friend, Jacob, is still upset."

"Why does it matter what Jacob has to say? There are five more of them."

"See, Sam is the alpha of the pack, the leader. Jacob is the beta, the second in command, but is also the _rightful_ alpha. By right of birth, Jacob was destined to be alpha, but he turned down the role. Jacob still has a huge impact on Sam's decisions, though."

"So what now?"

"The wolves have waged war against our family."

"Yea, I caught that part." I hissed, and then felt guilty for being rude to Edward when he didn't deserve it. "Sorry, I'm just so…frustrated. This is my fault. If I hadn't listened to Alice in the first place…"

"No, Bella. This is _my _fault."

"Edward, if I hadn't stepped in front of Jacob, we wouldn't have this problem!"

"But if I hadn't aggravated him, he never would have morphed and hurt you, then I wouldn't have jumped at him."

"Edward…"

"Arguing is getting us no where." He pointed out.

I sighed. "You're right. Well, what do we do now?"

"We wait for the others to come. Then we prepare ourselves for the fight."

"Will you teach me how to fight?"

He hesitated and looked at my like I was deranged. "You think I'm going to let you fight? Are you crazy?" He questioned my sanity.

"Well shouldn't I? Considering this has to do with me."

"Bella, no offense, but you're not experienced and I would die if I lost you."

"I'm not human anymore, Edward. So stop treating me like I'm so vulnerable."

"I know, love. I know. And that's something I need to get used to. But please. It will give me a little piece of mind to know that you won't be hurt."

"Fine." I agreed reluctantly. "But what if something happens to you?"

"Nothing will happen to me." He kissed me on the cheek. "Discussion over."

"But—"

"Come on. Let's get back to the house."

***

"Edward," Alice called him. I followed by his side as he walked into the living room to greet Alice and Jasper.

"What did Carlisle say?"

"They're all on their way. They should be here in a few hours."

Edward nodded once. Everything was tense. The air was crisp, no one was breathing. Everyone was quiet and self-preserved. It was apparent how nervous and guilty everyone felt.

Suddenly there was a wave of calm that flowed through the room.

"Thanks, Jasper," Edward sighed.

"Guys, this is my fault," Alice frowned, "If I hadn't made Bella look for another guy…"

"No it's my fault," Jasper followed, "I came at the wrong time. If I hadn't come at that exact time, Alice would have never left Bella and Bella never would have…"

"But," Edward cut him off, "if I had never made us leave Bella in the first place…"

I did kind of have to agree with him on that one, but I wouldn't let him feel guilty.

"You guys, this is getting us no where. No one is at fault." I stopped him. "Things happen. Okay? Besides, I shouldn't have stepped in front of Jacob. What was I thinking, saving the damn dog?"

Thankfully everyone chuckled, a bit out of nervousness, but it was a relief nonetheless.

***

"How should we prepare ourselves?" Esme asked everyone, not knowing whom she should direct her question to.

"There's not much we can do." Carlisle answered her and squeezed her hand.

"Well, what are we supposed to do? Just stand here and wait for them to come?" Emmett demanded.

Rosalie stood at his side, glaring at me. I had no idea why she would be mad at me though. I was no longer a liability to them now. They wouldn't have to worry about protecting me all the time, and I wouldn't be putting them in any danger now. What did I do wrong?

"Rosalie," Edward caught her attention in a growl, "Stop glowering at Bella. I changed her because it was necessary. If I hadn't changed her, there would no longer be this 'long, beautiful life' you imagine she'd have."

So that was it. Rosalie was upset because I'd had the opportunity to live a long life, a long _human_ life, and she didn't. But now that opportunity was gone. My long human life was diminished into "eternal damnation" as Edward had so _lightly_ put it.

Well, either way, I was happy now. I would get to spend the rest of my existence, the rest of forever, with Edward.

The family, my family, was now talking about the fight and who each of them would handle if the wolves hadn't already decided that themselves—because Alice could not see the wolves in her visions, everything was just blank.

I was unfamiliar with the names of the wolves, but I tried to keep up. Emmett would fight Sam, Jasper had Paul, Carlisle had Jared, Rosalie had Quil, and Esme and Alice had Embry. The thought of Esme fighting was a conception my mind could not gather—it was too painful to think of such a loving and caring person getting hurt.

They decided Edward would fight Jacob. That was something I wish to never have to watch. Though I only loved Jacob for a very little amount of time, it was very powerful, and it hurts to know I will lose him. Edward, I was almost positive, would come out squeaky clean, without a scratch. So I hope. I pray that Edward will be able to come back to me. I wanted to help him somehow. I want to be able to be _sure_ that Edward won't be hurt.

I thought back to the argument I had lost with Edward in the forest. The idea came back to me, and I agreed with it once again.

I cleared my throat and caught the attention of my family. I swallowed hard and spoke, "I want to fight."

The varied expressions on their faces kind of scared me.

Edward was the first to speak, "We had already spoken about this, love. No, absolutely not."

"Edward," Jasper piped in, "We could use her newborn strength." Edward hissed at him in response.

"Bella, I don't think that's the best idea," Carlisle said, defending Edward. "You did, after all, have feelings for Jacob. You could get distracted during the fight and you'd get hurt. The wolves will jump at any sign of weakness. They don't always fight fair."

"I just want to help. If any of you get hurt, I'm going to blame myself. I don't want to lose any of you."

"Love, I can assure you, all of us will be fine." Edward pulled me in closer to him, putting his arm around my waist and kissing the top of my head. "We will—" He stopped, having a frightened look on his face. "Alice…"

"I couldn't see him coming! I was too focused on trying to be able to see the fight that I didn't pay attention to anything else!" Alice panicked.

"Who's here?" I asked Edward.

"You're father." He answered flatly and simply.


	13. Chapter 12: None of Your Business

**A/N: Finals are this upcoming week and I'm so nervous. I NEED to study for them, so I might not post until, like, Saturday. Not sure though. Hopefully I could get a chapter done earlier. **

**BY THE WAY: I have a new story that I just started, right now I only have the first chapter up but I'm working. It's called "Like Mother, Like Daughter." Please, please, please check it out. =]**

**ROSES ARE RED, VIOLETS ARE BLUE. I DO NOT OWN, SO PLEASE DON'T SUE! **

**--No copyright infringement intended--  
**

12. None of Your Business

Bella POV

"Get Bella out of here," Edward commanded.

"Edward, you should go with her." Said Carlisle, and I agreed, I wasn't going anywhere without Edward. "Then at least we'll have the excuse that you two ran away together."

"Hide out in the woods," Alice suggested. "You'll know when he's gone."

Edward nodded once and grabbed my hand, pulling me towards the back door. Just as we made it out, I heard the doorbell ring once and then three defined knocks on the front door.

"Hold your breath," Edward instructed in monotone. I did as he said.

Once we were in the forest, I watched the house and listened to the conversation I could still hear from inside.

Charlie was screaming in fury, "Where is my daughter? Where is she? Where's Bella?" I could imagine how red his face was, and from the emotion in his tone, how sad his eyes were. "She's been missing for days, and then I finally hear that _you all_ are back in town." He expressed the phrase "you all" as if it were a dirty word.

I pursed my lips to keep from frowning, and continued to listen. Edward still held my hand.

"She and my son have run away together," Carlisle answered him calmly.

"Then why aren't you doing anything?" I heard the footsteps of Charlie's pacing on the hardwood floor.

"Edward is old enough to make is own decisions, and if this is what he wants…" He let his voice trail off. "He will learn from his mistakes."

Charlie stopped pacing for a second, "That's a load of bull shit!" His voice croaked. He continued pacing, and then stopped again. "Your boy hurt my daughter. She was basically dead after you all left. He killed her spirit. Then right when she was starting to move on, to get happier, to enjoy life…he comes and takes her away again."

Carlisle said nothing.

"I'm going to find them." Charlie's voice rose. "I'm going to find them and make sure they never see each other again."

"You can't—" Carlisle tried, but Charlie cut him off.

"I'm taking her back to her mother. Your boy and my daughter no longer have any business together. When I find them, you will never see her again."

"Charlie, _you _no longer have business with _them_ any more. They chose to leave. She chose to leave you, for him. If that is what they decide, let it be. We may not like it, but it's not our decision to make. We can't take them away from each other, they'll just rebound, and we'll be back where we started. It's best not to interfere. Bella and Edward don't need us anymore."

I tightened my grip on Edward's hand.

"Don't you dare tell me that my daughter doesn't need me. Of course she needs me. I'm her father. She'll _always _need me. Who's going to walk her down the isle at their wedding? Hmm? Surely not me!"

"I'd be honored to take your place." Carlisle retorted smugly.

"I have an idea," Edward whispered, "let's go back to the house."

I gave him a confused look.

"Alice had a vision."

"What about Charlie?" I questioned.

"You won't hurt him." He assured me. "Just hold your breath and stay in control of yourself."

"What about my eyes. They're red, not brown."

"If needed, we'll say you've been crying, causing your eyes to appear red. We won't let Charlie get close enough to study them."

I stared up at him warily.

"Do you trust yourself?" His golden eyes met my crimson red eyes.

I swallowed hard, "Enough to do this."

He gently bent down and kissed my lips.

We ran to the house, and were especially loud coming in; making sure Charlie would notice the back door close and our footsteps as we walked in.

Charlie gasped as my face came into view.

I still held my breath, Edward's hand on the small of my back, encouraging me forward.

Alice skipped over to my side gracefully with an over all happy look on her face, though it seemed halfway forced. She whispered at a level that only a vampire could hear, "You won't hurt him."

I resisted the urge to let out a sigh of relief.

"Bella…" Charlie whispered.

"Dad." I greeted him casually. I realized that everyone besides Edward, Charlie, and me had left the room.

"Bella, honey, what were you thinking?"

"I'm not sure. But I know that right now I think I made the right decision of leaving."

"Why? He hurt you. Of course you remember that, don't you? Look at your eyes, you've been crying so much."

"I know that, Dad, but he proved himself to me that his intentions were different." I smiled and glanced up at Edward.

Even though I wasn't breathing, the smell of Charlie's blood seeped through onto my tongue. It made my teeth coat with venom and my throat burn like fire. I used all my strength I had to control myself. Edward wrapped his arm around my waist in a way that would appear romantic, but his grip was too tight. He was restraining me, as if he could read my mind.

Charlie snorted and sighed, "We'll talk about this later. Right now, honey, let's just go home."

He walked closer to me and Edward tightened his grip.

"No, Dad." I stepped back a few feet with Edward. "I'm not leaving. I'm staying here."

"Are you crazy, Bells?" He laughed.

"No, I'm not."

"Isabella Marie Swan, if you do not come with me right now, you will never be allowed to set foot in my house again."

"That's perfectly fine with me, Dad."

He growled and then tried to calm himself, his eyes filled with tears he was trying so hard to resist. "Please, Bella." He pleaded. "I need you."

I swallowed hard, "No, Dad. I'm not coming home with you, I'll never set foot in your house, and if it will make you happy, I'll never speak to you again."

He sniffled, "Fine then." Before Charlie could do anything else, Edward stiffened at my side nervously. Charlie pulled out his handgun. "Then there's no reason for me anymore, is there?" He put the gun to his right temple.

"Dad, don't." I begged, shaking my head.

"Don't worry. I won't." He smiled a cynically, and turned the gun towards Edward. His hand trembled. "Because it's his fault."

With that, Charlie pulled the trigger and the bullet hit Edward in the gut. Edward dropped to the ground next to me and lay limp.

On a knee jerk reaction, I dropped down next to him, holding him and screaming his name. "Edward! No! Not him, please!" My head shot up to look at my father. I had nothing to say to him.

The rest of the Cullens all came running in, shocked and screaming. My father took one look at them and bolted out the door, only leaving the smell of his blood, and a bullet on the ground in front of Edward.


	14. Chapter 13: Anecdote

**A/N: Sorry for the delay, but yay! Finals are over, happy winter break to me! Unfortunately, I still won't have a whole lot of time to post, but I'm going to do my best to start a schedule. I'll post it on my profile as soon as I get it figured out. I'm thinking I'll update my story "Like Mother, Like Daughter" on Tuesdays and this story on Fridays. Yes, that was promotional information for my new story. I only have like, 100 hits and that's a little sad compared to this story's hits. So guys, please read it! I'm not asking for reviews on it, just read it. **

**I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS. **

**--No copyright infringement intended--  
**

13. Anecdote

Bella POV

I knew Edward was just acting, but the thought of him actually being…_dead_ was something I didn't want to imagine.

The second we all heard Charlie's cruiser pull out of the long driveway, Edward stood up and we all congratulated him on a job well done.

"Alice had the vision of Charlie shooting me, that's why I had us come back to the house." Edward explained to me.

"Oh."

Emmett bent over and picked up the little silver bullet from the hardwood floor. "Ah, memories." He fake-reminisced. "Here Bella, take it." He held it out for me, but I shuddered away from it.

"What's wrong, love?" Edward slapped Emmett's hand away from me and gave me a concerned look. "It only felt like Alice poked me in the stomach." He winked at Alice then looked back at me.

"It's just…the thought…" I turned my head away.

"Oh, quit being a baby." Rosalie scowled and stalked off. Edward hissed at her back as she faded out of sight up the stairs. He gestured for Emmett to follow after her. Emmett obeyed.

"She's still mad at me." I guessed.

"Furious is the appropriate word." Edward corrected.

"I should talk to her."

"Bella, you don't have to."

"But I should. And you agree."

He didn't answer me. I turned around and walked upstairs to Rosalie and Emmett's bedroom.

I knocked on the door gently twice. "Rosalie?"

Emmett opened the door, "Sorry Bella. She's a little, ya know…"

"I can hear you, Emmett." Rosalie snarled and stepped up to stand by his side. "What do you want?"

"Can I just talk to you for a minute?" I pleaded.

"Sixty seconds." She agreed. "Emmett, why don't you go downstairs?"

He kissed her on the cheek and left. He swerved around me as he walked down the hallway to the stairs, leaving me alone with Rosalie.

"Talk." She commanded.

"Look, I know the reason you resent me is because I—originally—had the choice of staying human, the choice of being able to live for a lifetime rather than live for an eternity. But you have to understand that it wasn't something I chose. When Edward came back, that wasn't what I was thinking about. I truly was dying when Edward changed me, and I will be forever thankful that he saved me."

"No you won't! You'll hate him eventually. You'll hate that he didn't just let you die. You should have told him no, to let you die, to _not_ change you. You would have been thankful."

"Uh yea. I was sort of just barely passing for conscious. I wasn't really in any state to talk. So even if I _wanted_ to object, I couldn't have."

She didn't respond.

"Rosalie, I just don't want you to be angry or frustrated with me. What can I do to make it better?"

"Hate him." Her jaw clenched. "Hate him for doing this to you."

I shook my head, "I can't."

"Make him feel sorry for changing you into a monster."

"I won't."

"You obviously don't understand this. You're a killer now, Bella. It's his fault. Innocent creatures will _die_ because of you."

I swallowed hard, "Spending forever with Edward is worth it. He's worth the price paid."

"Get a hold of yourself! You're a monster. Tell me, what is more prominent to you right now, your desire to hold Edward's hand or your thirst?"

She had made her point. Right now, my throat burned with need for the sensation of warm blood.

I looked down, hanging my head in shame. "I'm sorry, Rosalie."

She grabbed my arm and pulled me into the room, shutting the door quietly behind us. "Bella, I have reason, you know."

"Reason for what?"

"Why I never wanted you to be like this, to be like us."

I stared at her with wide eyes, signifying for her to continue.

She told me about her human life in New York, her fiancé Royce King II, her friend Vera, Vera's little Henry, and about the night Carlisle found her dying in the street—_credited_ by Royce and his cohorts.

"Edward hadn't liked the fact that Carlisle saved me. When he asked Carlisle why he did it, he said my name like it was the filthiest word in the dictionary.

"When I was finally able to subside my thoughts on my agony and the pain faded from my fingertips, I listened to what they asked of me—they being Carlisle, Edward, and Esme. They told me about their life as 'vegetarians' and I agreed to join them in their hunting animals rather than humans.

"I've always hated the idea of killing a human. It's a disgusting abstraction. Though I did murder seven humans as revenge. I killed Royce's four friends that were with him that night, his two guards, and Royce himself. Why would they deserve to live? I did the world a favor by killing those men. They were vile.

"I even dressed up in a wedding dress when I slain them." She shook her head as she laughed at the memory. "Sorry," Her head shot up and her eyes stared at me, "Am I scaring you?"

"No."

She caught me on my lie. "I apologize. I see how my story _can_ be a bit…masochistic."

I chuckled. "Hey, it's better than mine: I was on a date while trying to get over my ex boyfriend, who shows up at the date and taunts the new guy. They fight, I step in the way, and I nearly die. Then, boom! He changes me. End of story."

Rosalie laughed and I was thankful. "Bella, I'm sorry I've been so vexatious with you, but I hope you understand why and except my apology and promise that I won't treat you the same again."

"Apology excepted, and I trust your word." I smiled at her sincerely.

To my complete surprise, she pulled me into a hug, my arms stiff and unsure under hers.

"What about Emmett?" I asked.

She released me. "Oh, he came years later. I was off hunting when I found him, he had just been mauled by a bear and was losing a lot of blood. I held my breath and carried him the entire way back to Carlisle and begged him to change Emmett. It was a miracle that I was strong enough to save him, but he had just reminded me so much of Vera's little Henry..."

"Bella?" I heard Edward call.

Rosalie opened the door, revealing my favorite forever-beautiful face. Edward.

"Hey!" I said happily.

His face was indifferent.

"What's wrong?"

"Alice had a vision. Your father is coming back, so we need to set up a scene."

"What kind of scene?"

"A death scene."

**A/N: Sorry that I didn't get into more detail about Rosalie's human life, but I didn't want to be stealing from the book. For the full version of Rosalie's story (Stephanie Meyer's writing), it's on page 154 of Eclipse in the chapter called "Unhappy Ending."**


	15. Chapter 14: Death Scene Disruption

**I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS**

**--No copyright infringement intended--  
**

14. Death Scene Disruption

Bella POV

It took the eight of us vampires a mere two and a half hours to gather supplies and create an authentic hospital room in Edward's and my bedroom. Edward was dressed in only the faded blue jeans he had been wearing. No shirt.

Alice and Rosalie had fun painting a fake wound onto Edward's abdominal. It consisted of face paint and new make-up. Alice refused to use the make-up the three of us plus Esme already had. It actually looked real, freaky real. I couldn't look at it too long without getting a little nauseous. Carlisle tried to explain to Alice and Rosalie that it wasn't necessary because Edward would have a blanket covering that part of his body anyway, but Alice insisted.

Alice gave us a five minute warning on Charlie's arrival and I took it apon myself to tuck Edward into the hospital bed. My job was to hold his hand and look sad, then to be the craziest one when the heart monitor goes flat. Testing my acting abilities.

"Okay, love," Edward grabbed my attention and stuck out his hand, I gripped it with both of mine. "You know what to do right?"

"I should. We've been going over it constantly for the past hour."

He smiled at me and I smiled back, taking a seat in the stool next to the hospital bed where he lay. The rest of the Cullens—aside from Carlisle—piled into the room, taking their places on the long black leather couch and leaning against the walls.

The doorbell rang, loud and clear.

"Now look unconscious and dying, mister!" I instructed Edward. Rosalie rushed over and started the heart monitor up. We had set it up so that it would replay an illustration of a heart rate.

Carlisle answered the door and greeted Charlie. I could hear the conversation downstairs perfectly. "Hello Charlie." His voice was gruff and unwelcoming, but polite.

"Carlisle." Charlie grunted.

"I suppose you're here to see my son."

"Yes."

"Follow me up the stairs." All I heard after that was footsteps. I put on my best "sad face," with the help of the shiny make-up Alice put on me to make it look like I'd been crying. Alice had also been able to get me brown colored contacts to dim out the crimson red color in my irises.

The door handle twisted and the door squeaked open, revealing Carlisle and a very regretful looking Charlie. I held my breath.

I turned my head to continue looking at Edward, squeezing his hand.

"How's he doing?" Charlie asked.

"Not very well as far as we can tell." Carlisle shifted his weight to his other leg.

"What's that mean?"

Carlisle unnecessarily cleared his throat, "He's dying."

"How much longer?"

"We don't know."

"Bella…" Charlie spoke my name almost incoherently. I turned my head to face him. "Bella, I'm so sorry."

"Why'd you do it, dad?"

"I thought…" He struggled with words. "I thought that if he wasn't here anymore, that I'd get you back, that you wouldn't leave me. But I can't tell you how wrong I feel now."

"You should, dad." I spat out at him. "And by the way, I'm not coming back home. Ever."

"Bella…" He pleaded.

"No, dad!" I nearly shouted.

On cue, the heart monitor rang in a monotone beep, making all nine of us look at the screen then back at Edward. My hands gripped Edward's tighter.

"Bella, back up." Carlisle instructed, rolling over the electric paddles. I did as told. "One. Two. Three!" Carlisle pounded the paddles to Edward's chest, making his body jump. The monitor remained the same. Carlisle turned it up. "One. Two. Three!" Edward's body jumped again. Still no change. Carlisle turned it up again. "One. Two. Three!" Edward's body jumped one last time. Nothing. Carlisle swallowed hard and cleared his throat, "Time of death: Tuesday, October 17th, 10:13 P.M."

Esme broke into sobs. Alice sunk into the ground. Jasper sank down with her and wrapped his arms around her. Rosalie dug her face into Emmett's chest. Emmett wrapped his arms around her and just stared at the ceiling. Carlisle scribbled on a sheet of paper attached to a clipboard, looking beyond sad.

I, myself, once again gripped Edward's hand with one of mine and used my other hand to caress his cheek. I sobbed along with Esme.

Charlie stood frozen in front of the hospital bed, not sure of what to do.

Right when Carlisle opened his mouth to ask Charlie to leave, something burst through the large window, making all of us—aside from Edward, who just squeezed my hand—look up at it. Something big and human looking. Jacob.

I growled.

Charlie's jaw dropped. "W-wha…Jacob?"

Jacob stood up and brushed himself off. "In the flesh."

"How did you…what are you…what's going on?"

"I'll tell you about _myself_ later. Right now, I'm here to tell you about _them_." Jacob gestured towards the rest of us, sounding like a lecturer.

"W-what ab-b-bout them?" Charlie stuttered.

"They're not what they seem." Jacob clasped his hands together. "They're vampires."

Charlie laughed nervously. "You're…not…serious."

"I'm serious as a heart attack."

Charlie glanced at us who were all staring at them, then back at Jacob. "S-say I believe you…who would be the vampires?"

"All of them."

"E-even B-Bella?"

"Yes. Even Bella." His words were harsh and mocking. I hissed at him, which made Jacob chuckle. Charlie glanced at me. "Don't worry, Charlie. Bella's just upset 'cause I spilled the beans on their biggest secret."

"What about Edward?"

"Oh, that's easy. He's faking it. Watch." Jacob walked over to Edward and held his hand up in the air, ready to smack him in the abs. Edward's eyes flew open and he grabbed Jacob's wrist, preventing Jacob from touching him. "See, Charlie?" Jacob chuckled, "It's all just a charade."

**A/N: Okay, my lame excuse this time is writers block. I sat in front of my computer daydreaming for hours when I should have been writing this chapter. I knew exactly what to do in this chapter, but I didn't know how to put it into words. It just wouldn't write itself! By the way, the number of hits on my other story was depressing, so I deleted it. Oh, and I have an idea for another FanFic story, this time it's JasperXBella. My favorite FanFic couple. =]**

**I hope everyone had/is having very happy holidays! And in case I don't update in time...Happy new year!  
**


	16. Chapter 15: Disbelief

**I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS!**

**--No copyright infringement intended--  
**

14. 2. Disbelief

Bella POV

Charlie stared at Edward for the longest time. His breathing was staggered and his heart was beating much too fast. I was surprised that he hasn't passed out yet.

He shocked us all by bursting out laughing. "Haha…Haha! I…I get it! You all…just wanted to…to…to get back at me for shootin' Edward! Yea, that's it. That's why you are all pretendin' to be vampires! Haha!"

"Charlie, they're not pretending to be vampires. I'm not lying!" Jacob's mocking tone was gone. In its place was a convincing tone. "That's why Bella's hasn't breathed since you got here! She's a new one. She's afraid she'll eat you."

"Yea…yea, like I'll believe that my daughter is a…a vampire!" Charlie was still laughing hysterically. I wondered if the laughter was because of stress or anger or terror. I decided to go with the last one.

I looked at Edward. His face was flat, giving no sign of emotion. I looked around; everyone appeared to be the same, apathetic, way.

"Just follow me for a second…" Jacob murmured to Charlie. He walked over to Edward. "So, leech, tell me, why do you hide your identity."

Edward growled at him, "Keep your insanity away from me and my family."

"Huh. Okay then, if you're not a vampire, and your purely human, my pack and I should have no problem claiming victory in the war." He leaned in to Edward's ear, but used a voice that all of us, save Charlie, could hear. "I think I will kill Bella. I'll have Paul and Embry hold you down and make you watch, and if you refuse to, I'm sure you'll have to see it in our minds because we will be shouting in our thoughts." Edward's jaw clenched and unclenched repeatedly. His fist tightened into balls. "Or maybe I'll kill you. I tear you apart so slow and with such brutality that your precious Bella—who, by the way, should still be human and _mine_—will be stuck in an endless round of winces and shudders. I'll make sure that we do not kill her, so that she suffers for the rest of her eternal life. But you, my friend, will be burning all the way into the fiery pits of H—"

Before he could finish his last threatening word, I lunged at him and threw him at the wall. I held Jacob at his throat, ready to kill. Charlie fell to the floor unconscious.

Edward jumped out of the bed and started to come over to me, calmly. "Bella, stop. You will be very upset if you kill him now."

"No, Edward!" I yelled angrily. I threw my hand up at him as a sign for him to stop in his tracks. Or, at least that's all I thought I would do. Without even touching him, Edward was thrown onto the large, floor-length window, forcing him to crash through and fall to the ground below, like I'd pushed him with great force. I stared at my hand.

_I had not even touched him_. I kept repeating that in my mind.

Jacob broke me out of my state of shock by trying to take advantage of my condition. He pushed me back, but I still managed to land on my feet rather than following Edward out the window.

Carlisle, Esme, and Alice tended to Charlie, removing him from the room. Emmett and Jasper flew through the window to find Edward. Rosalie stayed with me…to help me.

She ran up to Jacob and roundhouse-kicked him in his gut, forcing him through the wall and into a bathroom. We both followed in after him and, before he could get up, we jumped on him. I sat on his belly, pinning down his arms, and Rosalie sat on his legs.

"Jacob," I said calmly, "You know better than to go tell other people's secrets." He struggled under me. "So you're in big trouble, mister!" I grabbed his arm and used my strength to snap his forearm bone in half. He screamed in pain. I motioned for Rosalie to do the same to his leg. She did as directed. Another, louder, scream.

I expected to feel guilty and rueful, but I didn't. I felt…_powerful_. It was a sick, bestial feeling, and I wanted to shake it off. I wanted to rid myself of that feeling. I never wanted to feel it again. It was monstrous.

"Now," I climbed off of him, and Rosalie followed suit. "Go ahead and go run off to your little friends. Tell them the _war has begun_." I tried my best to sound strong and serious, but I couldn't help but chuckle a bit.

My eyes followed him as he limped down the hall. The door slammed especially loud behind him.

I turned to Rosalie, "Thank you." I said sincerely.

She shrugged, "I never liked that dog. It'll be nice to finally be rid of those ghastly mutts."

I laughed. Suddenly a reminder popped up in my head. "Edward! Where is he?"

"Right here," I heard his velvet voice as he walked into the completely messed up room. I ran to him and wrapped my arms around him. He put his hands on my back and hushed me soothingly. I pulled away and he eyed the broken wall. "Esme isn't going to be the happiest person when she sees this."

"I'll make it up to her." I tried to assure _myself_ more so than to assure him.

"We'll talk about your mysterious powers later." He laughed.

"How's Charlie doing?" I was vaguely aware that Rosalie was gone, too, now.

He paused, "He's awake again. Brace yourself."

I straightened my shoulders and held my head high. Edward and I walked down the stairs, hand in hand, to where everyone was huddled around Charlie. I readied myself for the conversation that lay ahead.

**A/N: I reread the last chapter, and I felt like I owed you all this...because the last one SUCKED. I tried to make Jacob seem as mocking as possible. But I also ended up making Bella a little bit cynical. BY THE WAY...Charlie doesn't believe it yet, so don't go assuming that he does. I'm only saying that because some of you thought that he did....**

**Thank you to all of my wonderful reviewers that still reviewed the last chapter even in it's suckish condition!**

**Oh, and one last thing....I want to tell you guys about this AH-MAZING Twilight story, it's called "To My Immortal" by Bookworm426. I really really really like it, and I think you guys should check it out.  
**


	17. Chapter 16: Illusion

**I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT OR ANY OF THE CHARACTER**

**--No copyright infringement intended--**

15. Illusion

Bella POV

"B-Bella?" Charlie's voice was soft and strained coming from the couch.

"I'm here, Dad." I said as I came into his view. I leaned over the couch so he could see me.

"Bella, what happened?" He rubbed his forehead with his palm.

"You, uh, you passed out."

"That's why my head hurts…"

"Yea." I smiled faintly at him. "What do you remember, dad?"

"I remember Jacob trying to convince me that you all are vampires and I remember you flying at Jacob, then everything going black and hitting my head on something hard."

I stood there silent, wondering what I should do. Should I tell him that we're vampires? I couldn't let him believe we were all human. How would we explain everything?

"Charlie," Carlisle spoke, "You must have been dreaming up that whole thing. You see, when you walked closer to Bella, you slipped and hit your head on the hardwood. You fell unconscious."

I stared at my father as he absorbed this lie. His face was so pale, like the blood was gone from it completely. A light purple ring surrounded his eyes, when he blinked I could see that his eyelids were a sickly lavender color. He did not look well.

"So you're all definitely human." Charlie asked warily, not sure what kind of response he would get.

"Yes, we're all human." Carlisle assured him. He tried to make it sound like he thought Charlie was being absurd.

We all stood there in silence for a moment.

Charlie grunted. "Well, I guess I should be headin' home. It's gettin' late."

"I don't think you're in any state to drive. Perhaps Alice could assist you." Carlisle suggested.

"I'd be glad to, Charlie!" Alice smiled.

"Alright then," Charlie frowned at the thought of not being able to take care of himself. "But how will you get home?"

Edward stepped in. "Bella and I will follow you guys in my car so that we can give Alice a ride back home."

"Why doesn't Bella just drive me?"

"I don't think that's the best idea, dad." I answered.

He huffed, "Fine then. Let's go."

**A/N: I know it was short, but people were starting to get a bit antsy with the fact that Charlie might have believed that they were vampires. I'll try to update real soon. **


	18. Chapter 17: Tonight

17. Tonight

Bella POV

Once I said goodbye to Charlie for what could possibly be the last time, Alice got in the back of the Volvo and we pulled out of the driveway. As soon as we were out of sight of the house Edward raced home with a serious expression painted on his face.

I looked back at Alice in the rearview mirror and she had the same focused look. What was going on?

"Edward…" I started.

"The wolves are coming…tonight." He replied without looking at me. I turned around to face Alice.

"How long do we have?"

She calibrated for a moment, "Three hours." I nodded. "I can't tell what's going to happen, though. The wolves…I can't see them." She frowned.

"But things _will_ be okay. Right, Alice?" Edward said sternly, like he was scorning her. I could tell that he didn't want me to know that they were both worried about the outcome.

"Yes, yes." She nodded frantically.

I turned back around and sat straight in my seat. There was silence in the Volvo until we pulled into the long Cullen driveway. The three of us climbed out of the car and ran into the house at vampire speed. The rest were in the living room waiting for us.

The others didn't look worried at all. Esme and Carlisle smiled at Edward, Alice, and I.

Esme noticed the expressions on our faces, "What's wrong?"

Alice took a deep breath, "The wolves are coming, tonight. We have less than three hours."

Silence followed Alice's information. I didn't need Jasper's gift to tell me that the room was tense.

Emmett willingly broke the silence, "I still get to fight Sam, right?" I smiled at Emmett's childishness. It was refreshing at the most fearful times. Esme, sitting next to him, rubbed his back with her hand, lovingly and comfortingly. Rosalie smiled, too, and rolled her eyes at him.

"Yes Emmett," Carlisle said grinning, "We will stick with the preset arrangements unless the wolves have decided others."

Emmett punched the air. Everyone laughed at him, even Edward.

"So…" I started. "What are we going to do?"

"_We_," Edward pointed to his family and himself, "Are going to fight. _You_ will be no where to be seen."

"But—"

"No, Bella. You are NOT fighting." He yelled unnecessarily.

"Edward," Jasper spoke, and Edward whipped his head around towards him. "We could use Bella's newborn strength." He repeated what he had said earlier.

"No. Absolutely not. We're not having this discussion again."

"Dude, we _need_ her." Emmett whined.

Rosalie put her hand in the air, "I agree."

"Edward, she's going to fight with us. I can see it." Alice chimed. Edward growled at her.

Esme sighed, "As much as I would hate to have Bella fight, I think it's the best idea."

"Carlisle…" Edward complained.

"Edward, believe it or not, they're right. We _need_ her. She may not be the fastest out of all of us, but she's definitely the strongest," said Carlisle.

Emmett's mouth opened to protest, but Carlisle held a hand up to stop him. Emmett crossed his arms over his chest and pouted.

Edward got angrier. "But she's never fought before. She'll have no idea what to do and she'll be hurt!"

"Hardly any of us have ever fought before, Edward!" Alice yelled at him.

"That doesn't mean we're inexperienced! We know exactly what to be doing out there. We know what will kill the wolves and they know what will kill us! Bella has no idea!" They were shouting at each other now. Edward's side of the argument was making me, and many others in the room, mad.

"Then tell her how! Because we NEED her!"

"That's all you guys keep saying, but she's still not fighting with us!"

"For crying out loud, Edward! Wake up and smell the wolves! She. Is. Fighting. With. Us!"

Edward hissed at her.

"Don't you dare hiss at me, mister! Now, stop being such an idiot and let her fight!"

Edward didn't respond. Instead, he ran out the door and into the forest. I followed after him. After about thirty seconds or so of running, he stopped and sat down on a log next to the stream. He had his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands. I walked over to him at human speed and crouched down in front of him, shifting my weight onto the balls of my feet.

"Edward…" I murmured quietly to him. He lifted his head to meet his eyes with mine. I raised my hand to his face and caressed his cheek, stroking it with my thumb. He leaned into my hand and closed his eyes.

"Bella," He whispered, his eyes were still closed. "I can't lose you."

"I can't lose you either. That's why I want to fight—so I can do everything in my power to make sure that I _don't_ lose you."

"You shouldn't have to protect me." His eyes slowly opened.

"You're right, I shouldn't, but I have to because of those wolves."

If it were at all possible, he would be crying now. He took a deep, unsteady breath. "If you're going to fight…at least fight by my side—so that I have a better chance of protecting _you_."

I smiled at him and whispered, "Okay." I leaned in and gently touched my lips to his. I tried to pull away, but he resisted and pulled me in closer to him. Our lips moved in synchronization now, in perfect harmony with each other.

Edward jerked his face away from mine abruptly.

I stared at him, confused. "What's wrong?"

"Alice had a vision…and the wolves changed their minds."

"Are they not coming?"

He swallowed hard, "No, they're still coming…but in five minutes."

**A/N: I felt that I needed a _little_ romance, especially with the fight vastly approaching...**


	19. Chapter 18: Prevail

**I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS**

**--No copyright infringement intended--  
**

18. Prevail

Bella POV

My eyes grew wide with understanding at Edward's words. Without an utterance, we ran back to the house faster than the average vampire speed.

"Alice!" Edward called as we stepped inside the house. In the blink of an eye, she stood in front of us with a serious and concentrated look on her face. The expression looked like it did not belong her face. Someone like Alice should be happy and ecstatic.

I saw over her shoulder to where the rest of the family stood. Their faces told me that they had already been informed of the wolves' arrival timeframe.

"Alice, this is the last chance…" Edward's face was solemn, "Can you see _anything_ of the outcome?"

Her face grew blank and she didn't move. At first, I worried until I realized what she was doing. I glanced up at Edward and his eyes closed, distressed.

"Nothing." He murmured under his breath, but all of us could hear it.

"I'm sorry Edward." Alice looked at him with worry in her eyes.

His eyes slowly opened and half-smiled in a sweet way at his sister. "Don't be sorry, Alice. It's not your fault." He turned to the rest of the family and grabbed my hand in one of his, squeezing it tightly. "Carlisle, would you please…"

"Certainly," Carlisle replied and everyone turned to face him. "Dear family, first and foremost, I apologize for being so formal. We have come to a time in our existences where we are forced to defend ourselves in a way we have never had to before. There _is _a possibility that not every one of us will come out alive," He looked as if he would be crying if it were at all possible, "but even in loss, we will be brave. Our love and our commitment to our family is our advantage over the wolves. The wolves are vigorous, quick, and strong. But we are better. We are mightier, faster, and more powerful than them. I have very little doubt in my mind that we will come out on top."

No one else could speak, so I did. "Thank you, Carlisle." I half-smiled at him. He stepped up to me and gave me a kiss on the forehead.

There was a potent smell in the air. It was strong and gross. Then there was a howling about a mile away. It was faint, but more howling followed. The sounds got louder and the stench got stronger.

"The wolves are here." Edward announced. We all stepped outside in front of the porch to watch the six dark figures speeding towards us. We stood anxious, but ready.

Once the wolves came to a twenty-foot distance of us, they stopped in their tracks and, too, stood ready to fight. Our two groups stood there staring at each other for who knows how long.

Suddenly, Edward growled at the wolves. My attention turned to him.

"Jacob, if you think she is going to take pity on you, you are sadly mistaken." Edward's voice was low and almost threatening. "She has agreed to fight along my side in killing you."

The reddish brown wolf growled back at him and hurled itself into the air at Edward…starting the war. Everyone around me fell into a state of aggression. I paid no attention to them. My focus needed to be on Edward. I had to help Edward now.

Jacob landed on Edward, forcing him into the ground. His paw grabbed at Edward's arm, ready to rip it off, but I threw myself at him, pushing him into a nearby tree. My hand was at his throat, holding him up to the tree. He scrapped his paws at my arm, but my hold was unbreakable. Edward ran up beside me and took Jacob's front arms in one hand and his back legs in the other.

"Bite him." Edward instructed. Jacob growled. I hesitated.

In that one second of hesitation, something came at me from the side and my hold broke from Jacob's throat. He gasped. I fell into another tree. Two wolves ran over to me as I struggled to get away. One wolf stopped me and held my arms and legs down while the other dug his teeth into my neck, ready to rip my head off at any given moment. They were forcing me to watch Edward and Jacob.

I watched as Jacob was able to tear apart from Edward and steady himself. He kicked Edward into the forest. Instantly, Edward was back and hurling at Jacob, but Jacob was quick and dodged out of the way. Edward landed on the ground in a crouch with Jacob behind him. He did a long back flip and somehow landed on Jacob's back, with his mouth ready to bite Jacob's neck. Jacob pulled him off and shoved him back into the ground. He pounced onto him, pressing down on his limbs. With his mouth, Jacob tore off Edward's right arm and tossed it fifteen feet away.

"No! Edward!" I screamed and tried to cringe away, but the wolf holding biting my neck wouldn't allow it. I squeezed my eyes shut in refusal to watch any longer.

I tried to tune out everything, but the noises around me wouldn't leave. There was howling and hissing, growling and screaming, laughing of temporary victory and cries of pain.

I still struggled under the wolves. I screamed in effort.

Abruptly, I could no longer feel pressure on my limbs and biting on my neck. My eyes flew open to see the two wolves airborne in front of me. My jaw fell. I saw Edward—with his arm reattached—fling himself at one and shove it into the ground; the other ran after them. I got up and followed without thinking about anything else but helping Edward.

"Bella," Edward said, "Grab this one and bite him!" He gestured towards the wolf that was attacking him while Edward held the other by the throat. I did exactly what Edward was doing. I grabbed the wolf and held him by the throat against a tree, exactly like I had done with Jacob, except this time, I sunk my teeth into the middle of his neck. I held my mouth there for a moment, letting the most venom as possible to pour into his blood.

Once I was sure he was dead, I removed myself from him, letting go of him completely. His limp body fell to the ground. I saw that Edward had loosened his grip on the other. His eyes were locked with the wolf's.

"May mercy be a gift." Edward dropped his hold on him and turned around to face everyone else.

"Stop!" He yelled. "Everyone halt!" Every single body froze in place and watched Edward. "Sam has issued a truce. With two losses being enough to prove that this war is not one of actual reason, we are done here."

Wait…two losses? I killed one, which means that another had died. Was it one of ours? My eyes searched for any missing persons. Immediately, I noticed the reddish brown wolf lying limp in the grass. Jacob. I hung my head in sadness.

Carlisle ran over next to Edward. "I believe you have all experienced how truly determined we are to protect our family. We will not gloat nor taunt you of your losses. Please realize that your losses were only caused in self-preservation. Our treaty must be reconstituted, but in later days. Now, may this war be done."

There was utter silence until the black wolf howled. The four remaining wolves dragged the two bodies and disappeared into the forest.

Once they were out of sight, Edward came and pulled me into a hug. I dug my face into his chest.

_I just killed a person…_

The thought rang over and over in my head. I wished so hard that I could cry right now. The need to let tears fall burned behind my eyes. Edward sensed my anguish and rubbed my back.

"Shh, my Bella." He soothed. "It's going to be okay."

"No, Edward," I pulled my head from his chest and forced myself to look him in the eyes. "It's _not _going to be okay. I just _killed_ a boy. The rest of the pack has to explain to his family that he was killed by a vampire. Do you have any idea how much it's going to hurt them? How much it hurts the wolves that had to literally _drag_ him back? And what about Billy? How is he going to deal with losing Jacob?"

"Bella, it needed to happen."

"Why? Hmm? Why Edward?"

"It needed to happen so that we could be together." I couldn't speak. My eyes focused on his and nothing else. He leaned in closer and kissed my lips gently. "I love you, Bella, and I'm grateful that I still have you here in my arms."

"I love you too, Edward." My voice was shaky.

Our moment was interrupted my Emmett who had come and slapped me on the back. "Nice job, Bella. See Edward, told ya we needed her!"

"Yea, yea." Edward rolled his eyes at him.

**A/N: Sorry that it most likely wasn't what you expected or wanted to be. =[ Don't be mad! Jacob died for a reason! I promise...I didn't want to--Okay, maybe I _kinda _did...but that's a story for another time. FYI the wolf that Bella killed will be announced later. OH! And I'm nowhere near done with this story, so don't go thinking it's finished....IT'S NOT DONE!...sorry, that was for people that only pay attention when it's in capital letters. Anyway, about the following chapters....let's just say that I'm planning more romance. **

**STICK WITH ME PEOPLE!  
**


	20. Author's Note 2

**Hey you guys! I'm so sorry, but I've been having a bit of writer's block. You see, a few weeks ago, my computer crashed…My hard drive cracked!!!!! Can you believe it??? I lost ALL of my writing! IT. SUCKS.**

**Anyway, I'll try to update AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, but in the mean time, this story and my other story, Must Have Been Dreaming, are on hiatus.**

**Again, I'm terribly sorry!**

**-Ashley**


	21. Chapter 19: Remorse

**I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS.**

**--No copyright infringement intended--  
**

Chapter 19: Remorse

Bella POV

I was vaguely aware of the arms that had me cradled against a comfortably warm chest as our two bodies were sprawled out on a soft bed. The sweet smell of sunshine that radiated off of the body was only faint to me at this point. I was too preoccupied with my own thoughts to pay much attention to my senses.

It has only been two hours, thirty-six minutes, and seven seconds since I killed a boy.

Eight. Nine. Ten.

Time kept ticking, and it was never going to stop, never going to rewind, never going to give me a chance to undo what I had done.

Such a horrible, masochistic fault. My hands stung with shame and revulsion. I have yet to look at myself in the mirror, and I hide my face from my family—not wanting them to see the monster I am.

My eyes were closed, in a wish to sleep. Sleep had given me peace as a human; I had been pulled into dreams that took me to other places and other times. Now as a vampire, I am stuck in the here and now.

Sometimes even my nightmares were a relief. At least they yanked me away from what I desperately wanted out of. Then when I would wake up, the pain, the hatred, and the bad memories would creep upon me. The pain, the hatred, and the bad memories were known collectively as the real world.

The real world is a cold, cruel place full of hustlers, cheaters, liars, ignorance, and murderers—like me.

Maybe I'm not so—

Suddenly, I became aware of a familiar melody being hummed—my lullaby—and my train of thought was derailed.

"Edward…" I mumbled.

"I'm here, love. I'm here." He whispered reassuringly into my hair. The sound of his voice allowed me to let out a sigh of relief.

"Edward, I love you." My words were almost incoherent.

"As I love you."

Suddenly, there was a knock at the bedroom door, and Alice walked in without waiting for an answer. Jasper following closely behind, giving me a smile that said "Sorry for my wife's intruding." I nodded acceptingly to him.

Alice cleared her throat unnecessarily, "Um, the…uh…funeral is going to be tomorrow…or later tonight I suppose, considering the time." It was 1:37 in the morning. Alice didn't look at me when she spoke—she stared at the floor.

"Already?" Edward questioned.

"There's no reason to wait any longer. Anyone who would attend is in town already. They don't know many people outside of La Push and Forks."

There was silence.

Edward spoke first, "A combined funeral?"

"Yes, well, Jacob and Embry were close, and so were their families. And they didn't have enough funds for two funerals." Alice answered.

_Embry_. That was the name of the boy I had killed. I laughed humorlessly in my mind. I was such a sick person.

More silence.

This time I broke it. "May I go?" My voice was weak by choice. I had no right to act strong at this time.

They all looked at me questioningly.

"I want to say goodbye to Jacob." I explained.

"It's a closed casket…" Edward started.

"I still want to go."

"Love…"

I twisted my head up so that I could meet my eyes with his. "I…I need to apologize to…Embry."

"If you really want to go…"

"I do." I said getting up from the bed and standing next to Alice.

He got up too. "Then we shall go."

"Thank you."

"Come on," Edward took my hand, "Let's go hunt." He smiled.

***

"The service will start in about fifteen minutes," Edward whispered as we stepped out of the ostentatious black car.

"Does Billy know we're coming?" I whispered back.

"Yes, he does."

"What about…_Embry's_ family?"

"Yes, they do too. Billy informed them."

Edward led me into the Forks funeral home, only Alice, Carlisle, and Esme followed. Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper had not felt the need—or the wish—to come.

The large room was full of people, all mingling quietly to each other—some sobs had broken out before we arrived. Only few seemed to notice us, that I was thankful.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught the caskets. I thought it best that I see Embry first, seeing as it might put off a lot of my remorse.

"His name is Embry Call." Edward noticed what I was wanting. "Those people over there are his family." He pointed to a small group of people that had gathered. I nodded, letting him know I understood. The two of us walked silently over to the closed caskets, while Alice, Esme, and Carlisle took their seats in the rows of black, metal foldout chairs.

The wood of the casket was beautifully polished and had a mahogany color to it. The name "Embry Call" was carved into the top of the casket. Above it, there was a picture of a young boy whom I presume was Embry as a human. But I knew that under this thick wooden cover lies a husky wolf.

Knowing that _I_ had been the reason he died in that form was enough to make my body shake with sadness. I wanted to cry. I needed to cry. But I couldn't. It is physically impossible.

This is the first time I've ever been angry about being a vampire.

Edward had his hand on my back and was rubbing small circles between my shoulder blades.

"Embry Call." I addressed the casket. "I…I have never been so sorry, so…so _shamefaced_ in my life. I know that I will never be forgiven and that I will live with the tile 'killer' for the rest of my existence, but I must say…I'm sorry."

I pursed my lips.

Edward reached down and took my hand, and then leaned over to kiss me gently on the cheek.

I smiled wryly up at him and then focused on the task ahead.

I took baby-steps over to the second casket with a different name carved into the top.

Jacob Black.

My little Jacob.

**A/N: Long awaited...And it's finally here!** **I apologize for having to put this story on hiatus**. **I want to thank everyone who stuck with me through my writing-depression, because I was really sad when I noticed my subscriber amount dropping.**

**Special thank you's to:**

**caww & april nichole**

**You guys are awesome. =]  
**


	22. Chapter 20: No More, Please

Chapter 20: No More, Please

Bella POV

I doubled over and fell onto the ground—not from laughing, but from sobbing.

Jacob. _My little Jacob._

My un-beating heart felt like it had blown up inside my chest. It pained me, and I clutched my chest with my hand.

"Jacob." I sobbed. Edward crouched down and put his arm around me. He didn't say anything.

"You!" I heard a voice yell towards me. My head snapped up and I saw a woman with a face bright red with anger and tears falling from her eyes pointing at me. "You killed my son!"

Embry's mother.

I stood and bolted out of the building as fast as I could. I kept running until I reached the forest, where I doubled over again.

My whole body shook while I sobbed.  
Why was I so upset? I only knew Jacob for a small amount of time. Yea, I kissed him, but still. Why did this affect me so much?

_Because I loved him. _I reminded myself. I did love him, I still do; he was my personal sun. He was like a little brother.

I felt someone put their arm around my shoulder. I looked up and saw Edward crouching next to me.

"Edward, I can't do this anymore. I can't stay here. No more, please, no more." My eyes looked at the ground.

"I know, love. I know." He rubbed small circles into my back with his thumb. "Alice had a…"

"Oh."

"I talked to the others. They're packing right now. We leave this evening."

"Where are we going?"

"I asked if we could leave as early as possible. So we're going to have to stay in a hotel until we find a house, but we're going to Eugene, Oregon."

My eyes looked up to meet his, "Thank you, Edward." I smiled, "I love you so much."

He leaned in and kissed me gently. "I love you too, Bella." He whispered against my lips.

"Let's go."

He nodded. We both stood up and ran home together, hand in hand.

**A/N: I know this chapter is short, but I just wanted to post a little bit to give you guys a heads up. **

**And........**

**I'm soooooooo so so sorry, but I'm ending this story already. "Alone But Not Quite" only has one more chapter in it. I haven't written it yet, but I know exactly what's going to happen. There is a _smidge_ more Bella/Edward romance, and I'm not going to say exactly what it is, but it's going to be there. Now, I know I said that this story was "no where near done" but I feel like I've dragged this puppy out _sooooo_ long, longer than it should have been. BUT I can't just go and be like "THE END." I'm going to end this story right, not just cut you guys off with Chapter 19.  
**


	23. Chapter 21: Awkwardly Afraid

**I do not own anything! Stephenie Meyer owns everything!**

**-No copyright infringement intended-  
**

Chapter 21: Awkwardly Afraid

Bella POV

I felt something grab my hand and intertwine in my fingers. "Bella, love," a sweet voice chimed, "are you okay?"

I turned to face Edward, "I will be." My head turned back so I could stare out the window again.

There was four of us--Alice, Jasper, Edward, and I--driving in Edward's Volvo to the Holiday Inn in Eugene, Oregon. Edward was in the driver's seat, I was in the passenger's, and Alice and Jasper were in the back. We had about another five minutes until we reached the hotel.

Edward rubbed my hand with his thumb. He means well, he really does, it's just…it's not going to bring back Jacob. I try not to blame Edward for Jacob's death, but he _was_ the one who killed him.

_No, Bella, stop thinking about that. You love him. Nothing matters. Nothing can change that. _

But he _killed _Jacob. He killed him! I can't just--

"Edward, can you pull over for a second?" I interrupted my own thoughts.

"Why? We're only a few minutes away from the hotel."

"I know. But…I just…" I tried to scrounge up a reason…Nothing.

"Okay. It's okay. I'll pull over."

I smiled at him with gratitude. Once the car was pulled over to the side of the road, I got out and started pacing, trying to get a hold on my thoughts.

"Bella, are you alright?" Edward called from the car.

"Yea, I just need a moment."

I heard the car door open and close. I turned to see Alice walking towards me.

"Bella…"

"Just leave me alone for two seconds!" I yelled and threw my hand up as a sign for her to stop. Instead of just giving her a sign, I ended up throwing her into the air and across the highway, into a tree without even touching her. It was just like when I had "thrown" Edward out the window before the battle. On a knee-jerk reaction, I slapped my hand over my mouth in shock.

Jasper jumped out of the car and we both ran over to her. She sat in the grass, seemingly unscathed, looking shocked.

"A-Alice, I am s-so sorry! Oh m-my gosh!" I stuttered in my apology.

She shrugged, "It's okay. Don't worry about it." I heard Edward walk up behind me. He was scared to touch me. "Edward, stop it. It was a freak thing that we both saw coming, so no reason to be scared of her."

Edward's jaw dropped, as if he couldn't believe she had said that out loud. "I-I just…" Instead continuing to reply to her, he turned to me. "Bella, I'm sorry for…being tense around you a second ago." Without waiting for my acceptance, he leaned in and kissed me gently. I didn't protest. I wrapped my arms around his neck and proceeded to kiss him back. I really needed this, it was a great relief.

Alice and Jasper politely let us be and walked back to the car. As they left, I could hear the faint sound of Alice rubbing the back of her head, probably because it hurt.

After a moment or so, I pulled away from Edward and whispered, "We should get going. The others are probably waiting at the hotel."

"Let them wait." He whispered back and leaned in to kiss me more, but I moved my head to the side so that he kissed my cheek instead.

"Come on, Edward." I grabbed his hand and led him back to the car.

**A/N: Oh. My. Gosh. I am SO unbelievably sorry, you guys. You have no idea. First of all, of course this isn't the end chapter, it was going to be...but I felt that I needed to post something sooner, I owe you guys at least that much. Second of all, there will be an end chapter coming soon. I promise. I will do my ABSOLUTE BEST to update as soon as I can. **

**My computer crashed once again and so I had to do my best to recover EVERYTHING I had written in not only FanFiction, but in my personal writing too. And I'm sorry to say it guys, but my personal writing comes first...It's like my love child. Though nothing compares to writing FanFiction. =]  
**


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